Jimm2

I think I will go ahead and get that McIntosh MC-7106. If I don't like it I can probably sell it easier than a used Emo. The Bryston looked interesting as well having all separate transformers for each of the 5 amps.

Yes I just saw that. Been in the garage painting. Thanks bud for showing me those links.

I have looked at the B stock of the ATI's. The signature series are way on up there in price. Do you think the Outlaw will have noise floor? Isn't a lot of this caused from dirty power or bad wiring. Like running signal wires next to the power cable?

I found another one to add to the list. Bryston 9B-ST PRO THX 5 Channel. Its only 125 per channel (8 ohm). But it has some really good reviews. Its a $4000 amp but I see them used for $1500. http://www.stereophile.com/solidpoweramps/546/ http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volum...amplifier.html

I have owned over 30 used outboard amps since 2008 and of those 30 amps, only 5 of them have needed some sort of repair. Of those 5 amps, I knew 2 of them had problems when I bought them Total cost of all repairs is about $700.00. With that said, I have never spent $1500.00 on any amps so I can't relate there. Of the new amps you are considering, I would go for the Outlaw Audio 7500. Bill Yes I have read a review on the Outlaw and it seems to be a nice amp. I have seen some bench test on some of the Emo's and they show some clipping in the upper mid frequency's. And clipping of the waves will reduce details of that frequency. But it was at a very narrow frequency. But I know there is no such thing as a perfect amp.

Im going back and forth and cant make up my mind which amp(s) to use for my HT build. I listen to about 50/50 HT/Music. I rarely will crank it up beyond 90 decibal, but I like having the extra head room. And, I also like having reserve power in case I ever decide to change speakers, then I wont have to change amps. I currently have the Klipsch RF7-II's as my fronts. I still have yet to get the matching RC-64 II center and surrounds. My system for now will only be a 5.1 since my family room isn't that big but opens to the kitchen and hallway. I just ordered the Marantz AV 7702 for the Preamp. I read some amps sound better with the Klipsch than others. So maybe some people has some experience they can share. Krells and such are out of my budget. I want to keep this under $2k. I know a lot of people don't like Emotiva, but for the money I think they are hard to beat for dollar per watt. I actually have found a used McIntosh MC 7106 that I am interested in. But Im a little worried spending $1500 for a used amp without a warranty. And its probably about a 20 year old technology. It has no XLR balance inputs (Which may not be a big deal). Its 100 watts x 6, but can be bridged for 320 watts x 3, which is what I would do if I got it to power the LCR speakers. Its a McIntosh, but I think its there low end amp. New these sold for $4500 back in the 90's from what I have gathered. I have always dreamed of having McIntosh, but the ones I like are way out of reality for my wallet. So this is my list of choices. (1) McIntosh MC 7106 (Bridged 320 x 2) Fronts and Center Emotiva XPA-200 (150 Watts x 2) Surrounds ...........Or ? (($1900)) (2) Two Emotiva XPA-1L Monos (250 watt x 1 with 35 watt class A) For Fronts. ((( Class A Amps for stereo music ))) Emotiva XPA-3 (200 watts x 3) For center and surrounds (($1525)) (3) Emotiva XPR-5 (400 watts x 5) (($1900)) (3) Emotiva XPA-2 ( 300 watts x 2 ) Fronts Emotiva XPA-3 ( 200 watts x 2 ) Center and Surrounds (($1300)) (4) Emotiva XPA-5 ( 200 watts x 5 ) (($800)) (5) Outlaw 7500 ( 200 watts x 5 ) (($1600)) (6) Bryston 9B-ST PRO THX 5 Channel (125 watts x 5) (($1600-$1500 Used))

I dont have an option of using an adjacent wall! One wall is the slider to the patio. And the other wall is half a wall with half stair rails for the stairs going up to the 2nd floor. I have put this on hold for now. I decided to replace my outdated Pioneer Elite VSX-47TX A/V reciever with seperates. Just ordered the new Marantz AV7702 Pre. Waiting to get a estimate on having a dedicated 20 amp circuit put in. If not too expensive I may get the Emtovia XPR-5 (400 watts x 5) amp.

You could build it so it looks like just another tier in the mantel, not replacing the existing top piece, just adding another larger one. Correct. Bill I like your idea of adding another layer to the mantle, that way everything stays intact. Will adding the extra height work? Will a 64 fit under your tv if you add another mantel layer? I can raise the TV up if I have to another inch.

How deep is this speaker without the grill?

This is the only wall I could have a TV and have it centered on the wall. But with my power reclining sofa its actually perfect. It's also nice for the wifey for when she is in the kitchen. The house wasnt built with HT in mind. I am currently running a Def Tech for my center which isnt too bad but not ideal. But before spending a lot of money for the 64, I want to make sure I can fit it on the mantel. And then hopefully it will support the weight. Going to head up to Lowes and Home Depot and see if I can get some ideas on the mantel. Im just not sure how a 13 inch wide mantel would look. I have too keep in mind if I sell the house someday how it will look without a speaker on it. I have already replaced the orignal and dropped my custom mod mantel down to fit the TV on top and have enough room for the center channel. Nothing else, I suppose I could build a new enclosure and swap the speakers and see how each one sounds. If I built a new enclosure that is not as deep, then I would build it wider to have the same volume.

Yes its a gas fireplace and it doesnt get used that often. But it also does not have a fan, so all heat goes straight up. And the Mantel is wood that is painted. Recessing the speaker I think would be a a major job. I suppose I could modify the mantel and try to find a 13" wide top shelf to replace the 9" wide shelf. Not sure how much job it would be to remove the top shelf. Might be easier to just build one from scratch. I looked at getting another but even cutsom orded mantels only go up to 12 inches wide. I work in a machine shop so I could saw 3 inches off the back of the speaker with a band saw and even face mill it to make it flat and parrallel with the front. I know I would loose some volume and dont know how this would effect the sound.

Does anyone have any internal pics of the RC-64 II? I am wondering if its possible to modify and trim 3 inches off the depth? OR custom build a new enclosure for the drivers so that the enclosure would only be 9 inches deep so I can sit in on my custom fireplace mantel. As it is now, the center would hang over 3 inches and not only look goofy, but would not have anything blocking the upward heat flow from the fireplace. I have the RF-7 II's for the fronts, and this seems to be the only speaker that would match them good. The only other thing I could think if would be to run Dual RC-25C's as a center. Not sure how that would work though. Last option would be custom build another mantel, which I rather not do. I have a lot of work in this mantel because I have built some accents lights underneith it.